Miss Tibet 2011 Finals - Dharamsala, India

Kelsang Dolma, Tibetan belly dancer from Pondicherry preforms for spectators at the Miss Tibet 2011 finals in Dharamsala, India. Trevor Little
Miss Tibet 2007 Tenzin Dolma makes an appearance at the 2011 finals. After winning the Miss Tibet title Ms. Dolma has gone on to achieve a prominent modeling career in Delhi. Trevor Little
Ngodup Dolma, a 24 year old nurse living in Australia presents herself at the 2011 Miss Tibet finals. Trevor Little
Tenzin Yangkyi (left) and Tenzin Sangmo show off their traditional Tibetan dress. Trevor Little
Tenzin Norzom, Miss Tibet 2010, walks the runway at the 2011 finals in Dharamsala, India. Trevor Little
Miss Tibet 2010 winner Tenzin Norzom talks about the importance of the Miss Tibet pageant and how it has affected her life. Trevor Little
Tenzin Norzom (left), Miss Tibet 2010 and Tenzin Dolma, Miss Tibet 2007 share the runway at the 2011 finals in Dharamsala, India. Trevor Little
Spectators crowd around the stage for the 2011 Miss Tibet finals hosted at the Tibetan Center for Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India. Trevor Little
Young Tibetan spectators watch as last years Miss Tibet 2010 walks past them on the runway at the Miss Tibet 2011 finals in Dharamsala, India. Trevor Little
Tenzin Yangkyi, who went on to win the Miss Tibet 2011 title, shows off her traditional Tibetan dress. Trevor Little
Young Tibetan monks watch the 2011 Miss Tibet finals at the Tibetan Center for Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India. Trevor Little
Miss Tibet 2011 finalist Dolma Tsering eyes up her competitor Tenzin Khecheo during the traditional Tibetan dress segment of the Miss Tibet pageant. Trevor Little
The Miss Tibet 2011 finalist walk the runway together showing off their traditional Tibetan dress during the Miss Tibet finals in Dharamsala, India. Trevor Little
A young Tibetan man tries to get a view of the stage as they announce the winner of the Miss Tibet 2011 pageant. Trevor Little
18 year old Tenzin Yangkyi from Zurich, Switzerland is crowned Miss Tibet 2011. Trevor Little
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Miss Tibet 2011

June 2011
by Trevor Little

The small hill station of Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala in northern India has been the home to Tibetan refugees ever since the 1959 Chinese occupation of their home country. In 2002 Lobsang Wangyal, a local Tibetan photojournalist and event coordinator, started the Miss Tibet pageant as part of his personal mission to promote awareness of the ongoing struggle of the Tibetan people.

He has personally organized and funded the Miss Tibet pageant for the past 10 years.

The Miss Tibet pageant was created to provide role models for Tibetan women worldwide and help them overcome their cultural stereotypes, while instilling in them confidence to make a mark on the international community.

In the past 10 years the event has struggled to work through much criticism; both from China who dislikes Tibet representing itself as in independent country, and from their own exiled Tibetan government who criticize the event as being “non-Tibetan”.

When I was visiting McLeod Gani in June, 2011, it was hard to walk across the small downtown strip without overhearing chatter and excitement for the upcoming Miss Tibet finals. The streets were a buzz and everyone was talking about it. When the big night finally arrived all you had to do was follow a parade of thousands of Tibetans marching up hill from Dhramsala, toward the runway at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts.

Thousands of Tibetans and curious foreign tourists filled the arena in anticipation of the nights event. Mr. Wangyal spared no expense in giving his community a show they would remember filled with fireworks, pyrotechnics, light shows, live music and dancers.

The contestants paraded on stage in both western dinner wear and traditional Tibetan clothing. A panel of judges asked them a collection questions including those pertaining to the Dalai Lama’s decision to step down as the political leader of Tibet, what they would ask the Dalai Lama if they met him, and they even questioned the very fundamentals of the beauty pageant in itself. One judge even questioned how a pageant such as this fits in with a culture known worldwide for dismissing such superficial things and placing little importance on inner beauty.

This year’s winner was Tenzin Yangkyi, a contestant living and studying in Zurich, Switzerland. She walked away with the grand prize of 10 Lakh, (100,000 Rupees), a huge smile and a sparkeling crown atop her head.